INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 35

God is bringing the exiles home. Valleys, hills, mountains, trees and grass are rejoicing for their return. Weak hands and feeble knees gained new energy─God is redressing their grievances─He is taking vengeance on their enemies. Aforetime Israel was blind, deaf and hardhearted─but now they possess eyes of understanding and hearts of praise. God has a highway of holiness for the redeemed to walk on. Lame are jumping for joy and people are singing for the first time─its joy, joy, joy. God blessed their forests, pasture land and wasteland─God has made the lion lay down with the lamb. The commentary section is waiting for you to read.

EXPOSITION TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 35

1The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

When Israel returns the wilderness and wasteland and desert shall rejoice─it had been burned and ruined by invaders and plunderers for 70 long years and now the real owners have returned.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES

THAT LEND EVIDENCE TO THE TEXT:

Isa 51:3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. Read: Isa 29:17; Isa 32:15-16; Isa 52:9-10; Eze 36:35; Isa 27:6; Isa 55:12-13; Isa 61:10-11; Isa 66:10-14; Hos 14:5-6

2It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.

Mountains and hills are breaking out with singing and trees are clapping their hands. This long deserted waste land that was overgrown will have a new gardener and there will be an abundance of blossoms.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES

THAT DEMONSTRATE THE TEXT:

Isa 42:10-12 Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands. Read: Isa 49:13; Isa 55:12-13; 1Ch 16:33; Psa 148:9-13; Isa 41:19; Isa 60:13; Eze 34:25-26; Amo 9:13-14; Psa 102:15-16

3Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.

When the news came of Israel’s return those with feeble hands and tottering knees gained new energy─this put heart into the listless and weak-kneed souls.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES

THAT AUTHENTICATE THE TEXT:

Isa 55:12-13 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

1Ch 16:33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the LORD, because he cometh to judge the earth.

4Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

The news of their return caused fearful hearts to become strong again,─God is bringing redress for your wrongs─it’s retribution time, he will destroy your enemies and save you.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES THAT

ESTABLISH THE CERTAINTY OF THE TEXT:

Isa 32:4 The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.

1Ch 28:20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

The prophets had said that Israel was blind, deaf and hard hearted─now their eyes are opened and ears are unstopped.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES THAT

PRESENT OVERWHELMING PROOF OF THE TEXT:

Isa 29:18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.

Isa 32:3-4 And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. Read: Isa 42:6-7; Isa 43:8; Isa 48:8; Jer 6:10 ; Jer 6:10; Mar 7:32-37

6Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

The news that they were returning to their homestead caused them to leap like a stag. Places that had no water now have abundance.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES

THAT ATTEST TO THE TEXT:

Mat 11:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

Act 3:6-8 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. Read: Isa 32:4; Luk 1:64; Isa 43:19-20; Exo 17:6; Psa 78:15-16; Joh 7:37-39

7And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

Ground that had long been dry will see an abundance of rain. Where wild hogs and jackals lived will once again become pasture land with reeds and papyrus growing along the water edge.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES

THAT ARE CONCLUSIVE AND FINAL:

Isa 29:17 Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?

Isa 44:3-4 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. Read: Joh 4:14; Joh 7:38; Isa 19:6

8And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

A high road of holiness─it will be called a holy way─a sacred way. No evil hearted, defiled, no unclean, no un-redeemed, no un-regenerate, no impious shall travel this holy road. But the pilgrim, the redeemed, the undefiled─the wayfaring man; even stupid fools can find salvations way.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES

THAT RATIFY THE TEXT:

Isa 11:16 And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

Isa 19:23 In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. Read: Isa 42:16; Isa 49:11-12; Joh 14:6; 1Th 4:7; Isa 52:1; Jer 32:39-40; Jer 50:4-5

9No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:

No savage, cruel beast, ravenous animals─nothing and no one dangerous will walk on the sacred road of salvation.

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES

THAT BEAR OUT THE TEXT:

Isa 35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Hos 2:18 And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely. Read: Isa 11:6-9; Isa 65:25; Lev 26:6; Eze 34:25; Isa 62:12

10And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

They are welcomed home with “a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree.” They will come singing─smiles from ear to ear. It’s a new day! Sorrow and sighing has passed away!

CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES THAT SPEAK VOLUMES ABOUT THE TEXT:

Isa 51:10-11 Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. Read Jer 31:11-14; Jer 33:11; Isa 25:8; Isa 60:20; Isa 65:19